SEARS PET DEPARTMENT

When I was kid, the Sears store on Chicago Street in Joliet had a pet department. I kid you not --- an actual pet department where one could purchase an endangered critter guaranteed not to live long, especially in the hands of a nine year old.
The smell was indescribable at best. But I loved going in there. "Mom, can I get a lizard today?" "No," said Mom once again. The noise in the pet department was a cacophony one had to experience. Between the parrots and monkeys, it was nuts. Yes, they had monkeys. I think they were called Spider Monkeys. Little baby-poop colored things that did not look healthy -- as I'm sure they weren't. You could also buy turtles, chameleons, and other "not for the house" lizards but yet they were sold just for that purpose -- to keep in the kid's bedroom until it escaped. "Mom, have you seen Herman?" Can you imagine today having creatures in cages, species of all kinds for the general public to purchase? I'm not sure when the pet department at Sears closed it's last cage and buried its last poor turtle -- but I'd guess the early 70's maybe.
I know you can still buy animals in cages at Pet Smart and The Doggie Den (?) places like that, but monkeys and snapping turtles -- uh, not so much. And I'm thinking, that's a good thing...

Testing testing three four...

it's not letting me post, is it?

testing one two

Testing one two -- just seeing if this still works.


Is this microphone on?

Algebra is the square root of all evil.
Whatever that means
I'm just typing any nonsense to see if this blog will still let me add to it after ignoring for three years.
Hold your breath - here we go...